OSL Ltd

Hotcan proves to be hotstuff

A technology that has been around since the Second World War to give soldiers a hot meal on the go is now being used by a Derbyshire company to conquer the US market.

Chesterfield-based OSL Ltd, which manufactures the hotcan, has been working with the Manufacturing Advisory Service East Midlands (MAS EM), run by the East Midlands Business Support Centre, to refine the self-heating can's technology to make it more robust and marketable.

The hotcan is designed to hold any moist products - everything from chilli and macaroni ready meals to casserole dishes. It works without any external heat source, by simply opening the can, enabling a hot meal to be enjoyed virtually anywhere.

Director and founding partner of OSL Anthony Brownlow said: 'We have been working with the MAS EM over the last six months. They've helped us financially to rapid prototype a new component that makes the can more realible and customerfriendly. This will help us to minimise the amount of materials that we use and it has also speeded up the manufacturing process.

'So far we are looking at a potential 20% saving in terms of assembly time, which will definely boost our bottom line. We are delighted with the way that MAS applied themselves to the moulding project.'